CEOS EO HANDBOOK – INSTRUMENT SUMMARY - SAR 2000 -
Full Name Synthetic Aperture Radar - 2000 Status Operational
Instrument Agencies ASI, MoD (Italy) Maturity
Instrument Type Imaging microwave radars Geometry Side-looking
Instrument Technology Imaging radar (SAR) Sampling Imaging
Data Access Constrained Access Data Format
Measurements and Applications All-weather images of ocean, land and ice for monitoring of land surface processes, ice, environmental monitoring, risk management, environmental resources, maritime management, Earth topographic mapping.
Resolution Summary Single polarisation modes; Spotlight: 1 m. Stripmap: 3 - 15 m, ScanSAR: 30 or 100 m. Two polarisation mode (PING-PONG): 15 m.
[Best Resolution: 1m]
Swath Summary Single polarisation modes: Spotlight: 10 km. Stripmap; 40 km. ScanSAR: 100 or 200 km - Two polarisation mode (PING-PONG): 30 km.
[Max Swath: 200 km]
Accuracy Summary
Waveband Summary Microwave: X-band, 9.6 GHz, with choice of 5 polarisation modes (VV, HH, HV, VH, HH/HV + VV/VH)
X-Band (12.5 - 8 GHz)
Instrument Measurements
Measurements Overview
CategoryParameter
Landscape topographyLand surface topography
Multi-purpose imagery (land)Land surface imagery
Sea ice cover, edge and thicknessSea-ice cover
Sea-ice type
Glacier cover
Glacier motion
Snow cover, edge and depthSnow cover
VegetationVegetation type
Land cover
Soil type
Thematic Links Global Climate Observing System Essential Climate Variables (GCOS ECVs)
ECVDescriptionProduct(s)ECV Inventory 3.0 Record(s)
Glaciers click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Land cover click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Sea Ice click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Snow click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Instrument Missions
COSMO-SkyMed 1 - COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation - 1 (2007 - 2023)
COSMO-SkyMed 2 - COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation - 2 (2007 - 2023)
COSMO-SkyMed 3 - COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation - 3 (2008 - 2022)
COSMO-SkyMed 4 - COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation - 4 (2010 - 2023)